New spin for Rock 'n' Roll McDonald's

In July, McDonald's unveiled what will be built instead: a retro version of Ray Kroc's first McDonald's. A pair of 60-foot yellow arches protrude through an angled roof in McDonald's in-house design to replace the Rock 'n' Roll McDonald's.

In July, McDonald's unveiled what will be built instead: a retro version of Ray Kroc's first McDonald's. A pair of 60-foot yellow arches protrude through an angled roof in McDonald's in-house design to replace the Rock 'n' Roll McDonald's.

Stephen RynkiewiczTribune staff reporter

Chicago's popular Rock 'n' Roll McDonald's will be replaced by a two-story McDonald's with retro trimmings -- in a sort of super-sized version of a 1950s drive-in.

Plans for the site at 600 N. Clark show a larger store with twice the seating, a two-lane drive-through and 60-foot yellow arches protruding through an angled roof.

The sloping windows of an old-style diner are extended to two floors of seating, granting more than 300 diners a view of Chicago's River North tourist strip.

The Rock 'n' Roll McDonald's will close Sunday night to make way for the new, 20,000-square-foot restaurant, slated to open in April 2005. The franchise location opened with 3,000 square feet in 1983 and grew to 7,500 square feet with its 1950s rock theme.

The location, along Ohio and Ontario Streets in the River North tourist strip, is the third-busiest McDonald's restaurant in the country and 12th worldwide, said McDonald's spokesman Lisa Howard.

The new site will feature Wi-Fi access and rooftop landscaping, part of the city's Green Roof plan for eco-friendly buildings.

No price was put on the project, but it is part of $16 million that the chain last year said it would spend updating its 21 downtown restaurants by next spring.

The plan was devised by McDonald's in-house design group and was initiated by late chief executive Jim Cantalupo. Mike Roberts, McDonald's U.S. president, said the chain will deliver a better dining experience for the high-profile location.

"At this important site, we are building a flagship restaurant that will showcase the great moments from our past, while also looking ahead to McDonald's bright future," Roberts said in a statement.